This game has many variations, but one of the worst is the basic game of change orders.
As a subcontractor, you are into the job and the scope changed or the drawings were finally completed and you were finally able to get the shop drawings completed. It took longer because the owner’s rep or the designers could not or would not make a decision.
Sometimes you have to submit a change order to help you cover the additional work that was necessary to meet the revisions. You submit them to the General Contractor as scheduled and a week later get a denial in no uncertain terms.
As you are wrapping up your work, sans any upcharge for change orders, you learn quite by accident that the GC who denied your change order turned around and submitted it to the owner for payment, which he got and kept.
Oops! You are in the Change Order game and not in a good way. Sure you can call them out or tell the owner’s rep, but then you should prepare yourself for not getting on the bid list for the next job.
Be assured that not all GCs play this change order game, but you will see it in the future and when you do, be aware of the game you are playing.
